Planning for Work Zone Safety

Two planning documents support the effort to reduce the hazards and risks in the roadway work zone - the temporary traffic control plan (TTC), and the internal traffic control plan (ITCP). Together, these documents serve to improve safety on both the traffic space side and the work space side of the work zone, or as the FHWA puts it, "on both sides of the barrel."

• The first document, the TTC, is extensively outlined and supported by the MUTCD. This plan is primarily focused on controlling the speed, direction, and flow of vehicles passing through the work zone on the roadway.
• The second document, the TTC, which we will discuss in greater detail in the next section, designates patterns of safe movements of vehicles, equipment, and people inside the work space.

The MUTCD provides for a third part of the work zone called the "buffer space." This area lies between the traffic space and the work space. The buffer space is an area that is not occupied by passing traffic, and no work takes place there. The buffer space is present only to provide a safeguard should passing vehicles leave the roadway and enter the work area. The optimal length and width of the buffer space can be determined as part of the TTC and ITCP development processes.

To learn more about Roadway Work Zones visit our Worker Safety in Roadway Work Zones Online Training web page.